Silver chimaera

Photo taken from http://fishdb.sinica.edu.tw/2001new/english/english2.asp

The silver chimaera (Chimaera phantasma) is a species of... well, chimaera. Surprise! It's in the Chimaeridae family, one of the three families of chimaeras. They are found in the waters near Australia, China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. They love the open seas and at about ​a depth range of 60 - 550 metres.

In their range, they are found on the continental shelves and upper slopes, as well as the continental shelf edge. In the darkness, they feed on mainly on small benthic animals... but they are also prey when caught via bottom trawls. Silver chimaera got its name for the silvery coloration it has all over its body, and it has a long tendril of a tail. The maximum length of a male/unsexed chimaera is about 100 cm total length (TL), and a common length of 60 cm TL. The silver chimaeras are oviparous. The IUCN webpage for this chimaera could not be found.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

• Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
• Continental slope: Steep slope descending from continental shelf to the continental rise; typically about 20 km (12.4 miles) wide, consisting of mud and silt.​
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.​

SAY HELLO!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

WESTERN HIGHFIN SPURDOG

PACIFIC SPADENOSE SHARK

MAGDALENA RIVER STINGRAY